Apparatus and method for teaching golf

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for teaching golf. The apparatus includes a conventional golf club, a handle laser removably attached to a butt end of the golf club&#39;s handle, a shaft laser removably attached to the golf club&#39;s shaft, and a retractable target line having a tape marked with a centerline and at least one golf ball image. The handle laser is installed so as to shine a handle laser beam along the golf club&#39;s shaft centerline extension in a direction opposite the golf club&#39;s head. The shaft laser is installed so as to shine a shaft laser beam parallel to the golf club shaft such that the shaft laser beam passes immediately in front of the area of the head intended to strike a golf ball. The method includes the steps of addressing the golf ball image and swinging conventionally, ensuring that during appropriate arcs of the swing, either the handle laser beam or the shaft laser beam shine on the tape centerline, thus teaching the golf student to execute the entire swing within the perfect swing plane.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to golf instruction, and in particular toan apparatus and method for teaching golf

[0003] 2. Background of the Invention

[0004] It is generally accepted that golf first emerged in Scotlandaround 1100 AD. It was based on a Roman game called paganica, which useda bent stick and a leather ball stuffed with feathers. Golf was bannedin Scotland from 1457 until 1502 by King James II because its popularitythreatened archery practice, which was necessary for national defense.In 1502 England and Scotland signed a treaty of perpetual peace, and theplay of golf resumed.

[0005] Until 1848 golf was played with a feather-stuffed leather ballcalled “the feathery”. In 1848 golfers started using a solidgutta-percha ball called “the gutty”, and in 1899 an American inventorintroduced the liquid-center golf ball.

[0006] The oldest golf club in continuous existence is the Ancient GolfClub of St. Andrews, located in Edinburgh, Scotland (established 1744).This club established many of the standards of the game, includingfixing the length of the course at 18 holes. The Royal Montreal GolfClub was established in 1873, and ranks as the oldest North Americangolf club. In the United States, the

[0007] St. Andrews Golf Club was established in Yonkers, N.Y. in 1888,and was the first United States golf club.

[0008] Today, more people play golf than any other outdoor sport. Morethan 16 million people play golf in the United States alone every year.The game has become popular in many places, including the United States,Canada, England, Western Europe, and Japan.

[0009] Conventional golf courses feature either nine or 18 holes. Around of golf consists of 18 holes played in a pre-determined sequence.During play, golfers attempt to keep the ball on the fairway, a stretchof mowed grass between the tee-off site and the putting green, whichcontains the hole into which the ball must be sunk. The edges of thefairways frequently have obstacles called bunkers. These bunkers may bea mound or a sand trap, or sometimes a body of water such as a stream,pond, lake, river or ocean.

[0010] About half the holes of an 18-hole course are medium holes, andmeasure from approximately 280-455 yards in length. The other holes aredivided between short holes (less than 280 yards) and long holes (longerthan 485 yards). Consequently, 18-hole golf courses occupy between 90and 250 acres.

[0011] The large area of ground required for golf courses and the lengthof the individual holes necessitates a smooth, accurate swing on thepart of the golfer. Ideally, the golf club should swing within a planecontaining the golf ball to be hit, from initial address of the ball,through back-swing, through the forward part of the swing, and finallythroughout the follow-through portion of the stroke. This plane isreferred to as the “perfect swing plane”, and it is important that thegolfer keep the golf club within the perfect swing plane throughout thestroke as much as possible, in order to maximize the solidity andaccuracy of the shot.

[0012] One problem associated with teaching golf students to swingwithin the perfect swing plane is the invisible nature of this plane.The student is told to keep his swing within a plane containing theball, yet this plane is invisible and, for some students, difficult tovisualize. In addition, due to the invisible nature of the plane, it isdifficult for the student to tell if his swing is indeed within theperfect swing plane, and consequently it is hard to make appropriateswing corrections to advance in the learning process.

[0013] One solution to the problem of student visualization of theperfect swing plane is to attach lights to golf clubs or other swingabledevices, and have the student watch the lights. A variety of light typeshave been proposed for this purpose, including incandescent,stroboscopic, and laser.

[0014] Existing Designs

[0015] A number of patents have been granted which teach a light mountedon the butt end of a golf club or other swingable device. U.S. Pat. Nos.4,693,479, 4,913,441, 5,544,888 and 5,655,973 were granted to McGwire,Freer, Pellegrini and McPherson, Jr. respectively for butt-mountedlights. While these designs permitted the student to visually observethe swing plane while the butt end of the club or other swingable devicewas pointing down towards the ground, these devices made no provisionfor tracing the swing plane during that part of the swing that the headend of the golf club or other swingable device was pointing toward theground (as during the forward portion of the swing). In addition, noneof these inventions provided a clearly defined target line against whichto compare the butt-mounted light tracing.

[0016] A second school of thought relating to club-mounted lights taughtlights either mounted in the head end of a golf club, or lights mountedon the shaft pointing downwards, toward the golf club head. U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,971,328, 5,000,456, 5,161,802, 5,467,991 and 5,472,204 weregranted Hernberg, Rabold, Daechsel, White IV et al., and English et al.for such designs. While these designs permitted the student to visuallyobserve the swing plane while the head end of the club or otherswingable device was pointing down towards the ground, these devicesmade no provision for tracing the swing plane during that part of theswing that the butt end of the golf club or other swingable device waspointing toward the ground (as during the backswing and follow-throughportion s of the swing). In addition, none of these inventions provideda clearly defined target line against which to compare the lighttracing.

[0017] Still another approach involved mounting lights to the top of agolf club head, so the golf student could more easily observe thetrajectory of the golf club head during a swing, especially under dimlighting conditions. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,288,080 and 5,470,072 were grantedTice and Cunningham respectively for such devices. These designs didlittle more than highlight the golf club head to facilitate itsvisibility. In addition, they did not indicate the swing plane of theentire golf club, but rather the swing arc of the head only, thusproviding potentially misleading information to the golfer.

[0018] Cunningham '072 additionally taught a back-lit silicone padagainst which to compare the golf club head trajectory in close vicinityto a ball target. This pad suffered from a number of disadvantages. Thepad was of only short length, and thus rendered it's use effectiveduring only a short arc of the swing. In addition, the pad wascumbersome to transport, and complex, being electrically back-lit.

[0019] McCardle was granted U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,528 for a cylinder whichincorporated a light at each end. While this device allowed the cylinderlight tracings to be observed from two ends of the cylinder, noprovision was taught to allow the lights to be mounted to a conventionalgolf club. Thus, a swing practiced with the '528 cylinder taught thestudent how to swing the '528 cylinder, not how to swing a conventionalgolf club. In addition, no clearly defined target line against which tocompare the light tracings was disclosed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to providean apparatus and method for teaching golf which teaches a golf studentto swing within the perfect swing plane. Design features allowing thisobject to be accomplished include a handle laser, a shaft laser, and aretractable target line having an optically reflective tape withcenterline and golf ball image. Advantages associated with theaccomplishment of this object include increased solidity and accuracy ofgolf shots.

[0021] It is another object of the present invention to provide anapparatus and method for teaching golf which can be used in conjunctionwith existing golf clubs, without the need to modify the existing golfclub in any way. Design features allowing this object to be accomplishedinclude a handle laser clamp having a handle laser clamp aperture sizedto grip a conventional golf club handle, and a shaft laser clamp havinga first handle laser clamp aperture sized to grip a conventional golfclub shaft. Benefits associated with the accomplishment of this objectinclude increased flexibility in swinging golf clubs, and improvedlearning and transferability of learning results, because the actualclub used to teach will be later used during play. In addition, nomodifications need be made to existing golf equipment, such as drillingholes, etc., thus maintaining the integrity and balance of the golfclubs used.

[0022] It is still another object of this invention to provide anapparatus and method for teaching golf which is quick and simple toinstall and uninstall. Design features enabling the accomplishment ofthis object include a handle laser clamp having a handle laser clampaperture sized to grip a conventional golf club handle, a shaft laserclamp having a first handle laser clamp aperture sized to grip aconventional golf club shaft and a retractable target line with lock.Advantages associated with the realization of this object include easeof use and convenience in storage and transportation.

[0023] It is yet another object of this invention to provide anapparatus and method for teaching golf which is inexpensive and readilyavailable. Design features allowing this object to be achieved includethe use of components made of off-the-shelf and readily availablematerials. Benefits associated with reaching this objective includereduced cost, and hence increased availability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The invention, together with the other objects, features, aspectsand advantages thereof will be more clearly understood from thefollowing in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0025] Five sheets of drawings are provided. Sheet one contains FIG. 1.Sheet two contains FIGS. 2 and 3. Sheet three contains FIG. 4. Sheet 4contains FIGS. 5-8. Sheet five contains FIGS. 9-11.

[0026]FIG. 1 is a front isometric view of a golf teaching apparatusinstalled on a golf club.

[0027]FIG. 2 is a front isometric view of a handle laser clamp with armsheld apart, ready to be mounted on a golf club handle.

[0028]FIG. 3 is a front isometric view of a handle laser clamp mountedon a golf club handle.

[0029]FIG. 4 is a front isometric view of a shaft laser clamp mounted ona golf club shaft, ready to be attached to a shaft laser.

[0030] FIGS. 5-11 depict a golf student using the instant golf teachingapparatus and method to maintain his stroke entirely within the perfectswing plane, by keeping the handle laser beam and shaft laser beamshining on the retractable target line centerline.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0031] Referring now to FIG. 1 we observe golf teaching apparatus 2mounted to golf club 4. Golf teaching apparatus 2 comprises handle laser6 mounted to handle 16 by means of handle laser clamp 10, shaft laser 12mounted to shaft 3 by means of shaft laser clamp 14, and retractabletarget line 20. Handle laser 6 comprises ON/OFF switch 8, which turnshandle laser beam 7 on and off. Shaft laser 12 comprises ON/OFF switch8, which turns shaft laser beam 11 on and off. When correctly installed,handle laser beam 7 shines along a centerline extension of shaft 3 in adirection opposite head 18. When correctly positioned, shaft laser beam11 shines parallel to shaft 3 and passes immediately in front of thesurface of head 18 used to strike a golf ball.

[0032] Retractable target line 20 comprises housing 24, tape 26, andlock 22. Tape 26 is spring-loaded to retract within housing 24, and maybe retained in an extended position as illustrated in FIG. 1 by means oflock 22. Stop 32 prevents tape 26 from inextricably retracting withinhousing 24. Tape 26 bears two ball images 30 and centerline 28 on onesurface. In the preferred embodiment, tape 26 was 12 feet long, and borea first ball image 30 three feet from stop 32 used for putting practice,and a centrally located second ball image 30 six feet from stop 32 usedfor driving practice. The surface of tape 26 bearing ball image 30 andcenterline 28 is marked with a photo-reflective coating which glows whenvisible light is shined on it, such as is currently commerciallyavailable to be applied to gate posts and other road signs to enhancetheir visibility at night when illuminated with car headlights.

[0033]FIG. 2 is a front isometric view of handle laser clamp 10 ready tobe mounted on golf club handle 16. Handle laser clamp 10 comprises aplurality of upper arms 36 mounted to base 34. Base 34 is of circularshape and has two flats, and is substantially co-extensive with the buttend of handle 16. Handle laser 6 is mounted on one flat of base 34,perpendicular to base 34. Upper arms 36 are mounted on the same base 34flat as handle laser 6. A lower arm 38 is attached to each upper arm 36at an acute angle, and each lower arm 38 terminates in fingers 40 whichare arcuately shaped so as to conform to the curvature of handle 16.Lower arms 38, fingers 40, and a base 34 flat opposite handle laser 6define handle laser clamp aperture 46, sized to accommodate the butt endof handle 16 when lower arms 38 are held apart as depicted in FIG. 2.

[0034] Upper arms 36 and lower arms 38 are spring-loaded so as to holdthe extremes of lower arms 38 opposite upper arms 36 in close proximityto each other, such that at rest, the distance between the extremes oflower arms 38 opposite upper arms 36 is less than the butt end diameterof handle 16. In the preferred embodiment, upper arms 36 and lower arms38 were made of resilient material such as springy metal, resilientsynthetic, or other appropriate material.

[0035] Handle laser clamp 10 is mounted to handle 16 by pressingopposing pairs of upper arms 36 toward each other as indicated by arrows50, thereby forcing the extremes of lower arms 38 opposite upper arms 36apart as indicated by arrows 52. The butt end of handle 16 is theninserted into handle laser clamp aperture 46 until base 34 rests solidlyon the butt end of handle 16, thus positioning handle laser beam 7 toshine along the centerline of shaft 3 in a direction opposite head 18.Finally, upper arms 36 are released. Because upper arms 36 and lowerarms 38 are spring-loaded so as to hold the extremes of lower arms 38opposite upper arms 36 less distance apart than the butt end diameter ofhandle 16, lower arms 38 and fingers 40 will securely grip handle 16,thus holding handle laser 6 in place, as depicted in FIG. 3.

[0036]FIG. 4 is a front isometric view of shaft laser clamp 14 mountedon golf club shaft 3, ready to be attached to shaft laser 12. Shaftlaser clamp 14 comprises pairs of opposing fingers 40 mounted toopposite extremes of body 42. Fingers 40 terminate in outwardly curvedlips 44 disposed at on edge of each finger 40 opposite body 42.

[0037] One pair of fingers 40 defines first handle laser clamp aperture41 at one extreme of body 42, and another pair of fingers 40 definessecond handle laser clamp aperture 43 at an extreme of body 42 oppositefirst handle laser clamp aperture 41. First handle laser clamp aperture41 is sized to frictionally engage shaft 3, and second handle laserclamp aperture 43 is sized to frictionally engage shaft laser 12. Lips44 facilitate snapping shaft 3 into first handle laser clamp aperture41, and snapping shaft laser 12 into second handle laser clamp aperture43 as indicated by arrow 45.

[0038] In the preferred embodiment, fingers 40 and lips 44 weremanufactured of resilient material such as springy metal, resilientsynthetic, or other appropriate material. In practice, handle laser 12is snapped into second handle laser clamp aperture 43, and then shaft 3is snapped into first handle laser clamp aperture 41, such that shaftlaser beam 11 is positioned parallel to shaft 3, and shines immediatelyin front of the area of head 18 intended to hit a golf ball.

[0039] In the preferred embodiment, handle laser 6 and shaft laser 12were commercially available, self-contained battery powered lasers withintegral ON/OFF switches.

Method of Teaching

[0040] FIGS. 5-11 depict golf student 48 using golf teaching apparatus 2to maintain golf club 4 entirely within the perfect swing planethroughout his swing, by keeping handle laser beam 7 and shaft laserbeam 11 shining on retractable target line 20 centerline 28 duringappropriate arcs of the swing. Tape 26 has been completely extended,with golf ball image 30 and centerline 28 facing up. Both lasers 6 and12 are turned on.

[0041]FIG. 5 shows golf student 48 addressing an imaginary golf ballplaced on the center golf ball image 30 with golf club 4. Handle laser12 emitting handle laser beam 7, and shaft laser 12 emitting shaft laserbeam 11 have been mounted on golf club 4.

[0042] FIGS. 5-8 depict the backstroke portion of the swing, whereingolf student 48 swings golf club 4 backwards opposite the intendeddirection of travel of an imaginary golf ball placed on golf ball image30. Throughout the backswing, forward swing, and follow-through portionof the swing, either handle laser beam 7 or shaft laser beam 11 shine oncenterline 28, whenever golf club 4 describes an arc whose secant iscenterline 28. In this manner golf student 48 can visually confirm hisswing is within the perfect swing plane. Note in FIGS. 5 and 6 shaftlaser beam 11 shines on centerline 28, while in FIGS. 7 and 8 handlelaser beam 7 shines on centerline 28.

[0043] The forward portion of the swing is depicted in FIGS. 8-5, indescending order. The follow-through portion of the swing is depicted inFIGS. 9-11. Note that in FIG. 9, shaft laser beam 11 shines oncenterline 28, while in FIGS. 10 and 11 handle laser beam 7 shines oncenterline 28.

[0044] The method of teaching consists of the following steps:

[0045] Completely extending tape 26 and placing it on a practicesurface, ball image 30 and centerline 28 facing up (tape 26 needs onlybe half extended to practice putting);

[0046] B. Mounting handle laser 6 on a butt end of handle 16 such thathandle laser beam 7 shines along a centerline of shaft 3 in a directionopposite head 18;

[0047] C. Mounting shaft laser 12 on shaft 3 such that shaft laser beam11 is parallel to shaft 3, and shines immediately in front of a surfaceof head 18 intended to hit a golf ball;

[0048] D. Turning on handle laser 6 and shaft laser 12;

[0049] E. Standing facing tape 26 at a ball image 30 (the center ballimage 30 to practice driving, the off-center ball image 30 to practiceputting) and addressing the selected golf ball image with golf club 4 asif the selected golf ball image 30 were going to be hit along centerline28, at a distance which permits head 18 to pass directly over theselected ball image 30 during a conventional swing;

[0050] F. Ensuring that shaft laser beam 11 shines on centerline 28;

[0051] G. Swinging golf club 4 as if to hit a golf ball positioned onthe selected golf ball image 30;

[0052] H. Ensuring that shaft laser beam 11 shines on centerline 28during a portion of the backswing during which a surface tracing ofshaft laser beam 11 travels between a pair of mutually parallel surfacelines 19 which are perpendicular to centerline 28 and which each containone endpoint of centerline 28, as depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6;

[0053] I. Ensuring that handle laser beam 7 shines on centerline 28during a portion of the backswing during which a surface tracing ofhandle laser beam 7 travels between surface lines 19, as depicted inFIGS. 7 and 8;

[0054] J. Ensuring that handle laser beam 7 shines on centerline 28during a portion of the forward swing during which a surface tracing ofhandle laser beam 7 travels between surface lines 19, as depicted inFIGS. 8 and 7 in descending order;

[0055] K. Ensuring that shaft laser beam 11 shines on centerline 28during a portion of the forward swing during which a surface tracing ofshaft laser beam 11 travels between surface lines 19, as depicted inFIGS. 6 and 5 in descending order;

[0056] L. Ensuring that shaft laser beam 11 shines on centerline 28during a portion of the follow-through swing during which a surfacetracing of shaft laser beam 11 travels between surface lines 19, asdepicted in FIG. 9;

[0057] M. Ensuring that handle laser beam 7 shines on centerline 28during a portion of the follow-through swing during which a surfacetracing of handle laser beam 7 travels between surface lines 19, asdepicted in FIGS. 10 and 11; and

[0058] N. Where handle laser beam 7 or shaft laser beam 11 do not shineon centerline 28 as required by steps F-M above, modifying the swing ofgolf club 4 until handle laser beam 7 and shaft laser beam 11 do shineon centerline 28 as required by steps F-M above.

[0059] While a preferred embodiment of the invention has beenillustrated herein, it is to be understood that changes and variationsmay be made by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit of the appending claims.

DRAWING ITEM INDEX

[0060]2 golf teaching apparatus

[0061]3 shaft

[0062]4 golf club

[0063]6 handle laser

[0064]7 handle laser beam

[0065]8 switch

[0066]10 handle laser clamp

[0067]11 shaft laser beam

[0068]12 shaft laser

[0069]14 shaft laser clamp

[0070]16 handle

[0071]18 head

[0072]19 surface line

[0073]20 retractable target line

[0074]22 lock

[0075]24 housing

[0076]26 tape

[0077]28 centerline

[0078]30 ball image

[0079]32 stop

[0080]34 base

[0081]36 upper arm

[0082]38 lower arm

[0083]40 finger

[0084]41 first handle laser clamp aperture

[0085]42 body

[0086]43 second handle laser clamp aperture

[0087]44 lip

[0088]45 arrow

[0089]46 handle laser clamp aperture

[0090]48 golf student

[0091]50 arrow

[0092]52 arrow

I claim:
 1. A golf teaching apparatus comprising a handle laserremovably mounted to a golf club handle and a shaft laser removablymounted to said golf club's shaft, said handle laser being mounted so asto shine a handle laser beam along a centerline extension of said shaftin a direction opposite said golf club's head, and said shaft laserbeing mounted to shine a shaft laser beam parallel said shaftcenterline, said shaft laser beam passing immediately adjacent a portionof said head intended to strike a golf ball.
 2. The golf teachingapparatus of claim 1 wherein said handle laser is removably mounted tosaid golf club handle by means of a handle laser clamp, said laserhandle clamp comprising a base and a plurality of upper arms attached tosaid base, a lower arm attached to each said upper arm at an acuteangle, said upper arms and said lower arms being spring-loaded so thatat rest, extremes of said lower arms are disposed at a distance to eachother less than a diameter of a butt end of said golf club handle. 3.The golf teaching apparatus of claim 2 wherein said base is flat andcircular, said handle laser and said lower arms are attached to a firstflat of said base, and said handle laser is attached perpendicular tosaid first base flat, and when said handle laser clamp is mounted onsaid golf club handle, a butt end of said golf club handle rests solidlyagainst a second flat of said base opposite to and parallel to saidfirst base flat, whereby said handle laser is securely held on saidhandle aiming along a centerline of said golf club shaft in a directionopposite said golf club head.
 4. The golf teaching apparatus of claim 3wherein an extreme of each said lower arms opposite said upper armsterminates in fingers, said fingers being shaped to embrace said golfclub handle, said fingers, lower arms, and second base flat defining ahandle laser clamp aperture sized to frictionally admit a butt end ofsaid golf club handle.
 5. The golf teaching apparatus of claim 1 whereinsaid shaft laser is removably mounted to said golf club shaft by meansof a shaft laser clamp comprising pairs of opposing fingers mounted toopposite extremes of a body, a first pair of said fingers defining afirst handle laser clamp aperture sized to frictionally engage saidshaft, a second pair of fingers defining a second handle laser clampaperture sized to frictionally engage said shaft laser.
 6. The golfteaching apparatus of claim 5 wherein an extreme of each said fingeropposite said body terminates in a lip curved in a direction opposite acurvature of said finger, whereby said shaft laser may be quickly andeasily snapped into said second handle laser clamp aperture, and saidshaft may be quickly and easily snapped into said first handle laserclamp aperture.
 7. The golf teaching apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising target line comprising a tape, said tape being marked with acenterline.
 8. The golf teaching apparatus of claim 7 wherein said tapeis further marked with at least one ball image.
 9. The golf teachingapparatus of claim 7 wherein said tape is coated with a light-reflectivesubstance, and wherein said centerline and said golf ball image aremarked on said tape using a light-reflective coating, whereby said tape,said centerline, and said golf ball image glow when illuminated withvisible light.
 10. The golf teaching apparatus of claim 9 wherein saidtarget line is retractable, and further comprises a housing within whichsaid tape is spring-loaded to retract and a lock, whereby an extendedlength of said tape may be set.
 11. The golf teaching apparatus of claim8 wherein said tape is marked with one ball image at its midpoint, andone ball image approximately halfway between said tape midpoint and oneextreme of said tape.
 12. A golf teaching method using a golf teachingapparatus, said golf teaching apparatus comprising a golf club, a handlelaser removably mounted to said golf club's handle, a shaft laserremovably mounted to said golf club's shaft, and a tape marked with acenterline and at least one ball image, said handle laser being mountedso as to shine a handle laser beam along a centerline extension of saidshaft in a direction opposite said golf club's head, and said shaftlaser being aimed to shine a shaft laser beam parallel said shaftcenterline, said shaft laser beam passing immediately adjacent a portionof said head intended to strike a golf ball, said golf teaching methodcomprising the steps of: A. Placing said tape on a practice surface,said ball image and said centerline facing up; B. Standing facing saidtape at said ball image and addressing an imaginary golf ball resting onsaid golf ball image with said golf club as if said imaginary golf ballwere going to be hit along said centerline; C. Ensuring that said shaftlaser beam shines on said centerline; D. Swinging said golf club so asto hit said imaginary golf ball; E. Ensuring that said shaft laser beamshines on said centerline during a portion of a backswing during which asurface tracing of said shaft laser beam travels between a pair ofmutually parallel surface lines which are perpendicular to saidcenterline and which each contain one endpoint of said centerline; F.Ensuring that said handle laser beam shines on said centerline during aportion of said backswing during which a surface tracing of said handlelaser beam travels between said pair of surface lines; G. Ensuring thatsaid handle laser beam shines on said centerline during a portion of aforward swing during which a surface tracing of said handle laser beamtravels between said pair of surface lines; and H. Ensuring that saidshaft laser beam shines on said centerline during a portion of saidforward swing during which a surface tracing of said shaft laser beamtravels between said pair of surface lines.
 13. The golf teaching methodof claim 12 comprising the further step of: I. Where said handle laserbeam or said shaft laser beam do not shine on said centerline asrequired by steps C-H above, modifying a swing of said golf club untilsaid handle laser beam and said shaft laser beam do shine on saidcenterline as required by steps C-H above.
 14. The golf teaching methodof claim 12 comprising the further step of: e I. Ensuring that saidshaft laser beam shines on said centerline during a portion of afollow-through swing during which a surface tracing of said shaft laserbeam travels between said pair of surface lines; and J. Ensuring thatsaid handle laser beam shines on said centerline during a portion ofsaid follow-through swing during which a surface tracing of said handlelaser beam travels between said pair of surface lines.
 15. The golfteaching method of claim 14 comprising the further step of: K. Wheresaid handle laser beam does not shine on said centerline as required bysteps C-J above, modifying a swing of said golf club until said handlelaser beam does shine on said centerline as required by steps C-J above.